Northern NSW Relief

Our Impact

Our Members, Volunteers and Employees were on the ground in Tweed Heads, Lismore, Ballina and Coffs Harbour, providing assistance to people who were impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the severe weather conditions that came with it.

We worked with NSW Reconstruction Authority and other service providers to be present in the Lismore, Ballina and Coffs Harbour Recovery Assistance Points (RAPs). Our teams were available to offer practical advice and support to residents.

Our teams were set up in the Coffs Harbour RAP from Thursday 13 March - Sunday 16 March 2025. While the Lismore and Ballina teams were set up from Thursday 13 March - Wednesday 19 March 2025.

We also issued additional vouchers to clients from Fred's Place, our Homelessness Service in Tweed Heads, for those who needed replacement items or food.

In this period, we have assisted 842 primary people through this work, with $127,000 worth of assistance.

This includes $122,200 in Woolworths vouchers and $4,800 in Vinnies Shop cards.

Going forward, people are being referred to our local conferences across the area for assistance with any ongoing needs.

To support our assistance on the ground in Northern NSW, we launched the Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal on Saturday 8 March. The current fundraising tally from this appeal is $75,692.07 as of 28 March 2025. 

Funds raised through the Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal are used to support people in the short-term. Once funds from the Appeal are exhausted, our members will continue providing assistance over the medium and long-term as part of our existing state-wide emergency relief programs delivered by the Society NSW. 

Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal

You can donate to the Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal by going to the website

www.vinnies.org.au/nswdisasterappeal or calling 13 18 12.  

The best way to help the Northern NSW community is through financial donations. As you can understand, severe weather conditions complicate moving goods around and cash donations help us respond to the immediate needs of the people we assist.  

Funds raised through the Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal will support communities impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in the short-term. Medium and long-term assistance will be delivered through our established network of members located in these communities, drawing on funds distributed as part of our existing state-wide emergency response programs.

Vinnies has responded to major crises previously and understands that disaster recovery requires a long-term approach. Through the funds raised, our members will provide immediate assistance as well as medium and long-term support, we will work in partnership with impacted individuals and communities to best respond to their needs. 

The St Vincent de Paul Society provides on the ground and long-term support to communities across NSW impacted by natural disasters such as the drought, bushfires and floods. We have distributed all funds raised from previous disaster appeals to people impacted by the disasters.  

About us

The St Vincent de Paul Society is a member and volunteer‑based organisation that has been assisting people experiencing disadvantage and hardship in NSW for over 140 years. The Society NSW currently has more than 12,000 members and volunteers across the state, giving tirelessly of their time. In total, we have close to 400 local member networks, referred to as conferences, present in communities across NSW.

This reporting relates to the response of the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW to communities impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Northern NSW, and the use of funds raised through the Vinnies NSW Disaster Appeal launched in March 2025.